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From: JOHN on 7 Jul 2007 04:42
you would also be sleeping over a heating coil, not a good idea, like a
sleeping blanket


"jay" <jaym1212(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1182382092.205894.217930(a)q69g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Has anyone suspected a link between long-term waterbed use and
> autoimmune diseases or food allergies? I have slept on a waterbed for
> approx 15 years (not continously :) and have had food allergies for
> the past 7.
>
> Waterbed mattresses tend to contain high amounts of Phthalates (esp
> DEHP). It is an additive that makes plastics (mostly PVC) softer and
> more flexible. It is also found at home (vinyl flooring, wall
> covering, shower curtains, plastic containers, paints, glues, carpet
> backing, cabling), apparel (boots, gloves), cosmetics, musk scents,
> car interiors, hospitals (tubing, blood bags), household/workplace
> air/dust, etc.
>
> DEHP falls under the category of Endocrine Disruptors or xeno-
> estrogens. DEHP causes Lupus in genetically suseptible mice. Endocrine
> Disruptors can cause autoimmunity. See related article below:
>
>
> Spotlight on the role of hormonal factors in the emergence of
> autoreactive B-lymphocytes.
>
> Pathogenic autoimmunity requires a combination of inherited and
> acquired factors. In as much as hormones influence the sexual
> dimorphism of the immune system, it is possible that they can initiate
> or accelerate an autoimmune process, and contribute to gender-biased
> autoimmune disorders. Not only natural hormones, but also endocrine
> disruptors, such as environmental estrogens, may act in conjunction
> with other factors to override immune tolerance to self-antigens. In
> lupus, murine and human studies demonstrate that female sex hormones
> are implicated in disease pathogenesis. In the B cell compartment,
> both prolactin and estrogen are immunomodulators that affect
> maturation, selection and antibody secretion. Their impact may be
> based on their capacity to allow autoreactive B cells to escape the
> normal mechanisms of tolerance and to accumulate in sufficient numbers
> to cause clinically apparent disease. Both hormones lead to the
> survival and activation of autoreactive B cells, but they skew B cell
> maturation towards different directions, with prolactin inducing T
> cell-dependent autoreactive follicular B cells and estrogen eliciting
> T cell-independent autoreactive marginal zone B cells. Differential
> modulation of the cytokine milieu by hormones may also affect the
> development and activation of specific mature B cell subsets. This
> novel insight suggests that targeted manipulation of these pathways
> may represent a promising avenue in the treatment of lupus and other
> gender-biased autoimmune diseases.
> PMID: 16061292
>
>
> Autoreactive responses to environmental factors: 3. Mouse strain-
> specific differences in induction and regulation of anti-DNA antibody
> responses due to phthalate-isomers.Lim SY, Ghosh SK.
> Department of Life sciences, Indiana State University, 403-25 N, 6th
> St, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA.
>
> Little is known of the role of specific environmental factors in
> promoting autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus
> (SLE). This study addresses how exposure to phthalates, common
> environmental factors in foods, and biomedical devices could affect
> the immune functions of resistant and autoimmune-prone mice. We have
> previously shown that immunization with ortho-phthalate evokes anti-
> DNA antibody in BALB/c and NZB/W F1 mice, but only the latter suffer
> from nephritis and high mortality. BALB/c mice, in contrast, develop
> idiotype-specific CD8+ suppressor T cells downregulating autoreactive
> B cells. Here we report that all phthalate-isomers (ortho-, meta- and
> para-) are capable of inducing anti-DNA antibody responses and SLE-
> like syndromes. Kidney pathology worsens in NZB/W F1 and to a degree,
> in C57BL/6 mice after repeated exposure to phthalates. Only BALB/c and
> DBA/2 overcome adverse autoreactivity by induction of Ts cells; but in
> vivo depletion of these T cells renders these strains susceptible to
> autoreactivity. Anti-DNA antibodies in affected NZB/W F1 are largely
> IgG2a-type, while in BALB/c, DBA/2, and C57BL/6 mice IgG1-type. This
> is further corroborated by cytokine analyses that imply corresponding
> Th1/Th2 involvement. In summary, the commonly used phthalates appear
> harmful to susceptible strains, while BALB/c and DBA/2 are spared due
> to induction of Ts cells.
> PMID: 15993037
>
>
> Endocrine disruption in adolescence: immunologic, hematologic, and
> bone effects in monkeys.
>
> Environmental contaminants with estrogenic properties have the
> potential to alter pubertal development. In addition to the
> reproductive system, other systems that mature under the influence of
> estrogen could be affected. This study examined the effect on immune,
> hematologic, and bone mass parameters of treatment with estrogenic
> agents (methoxychlor, MXC, 25 and 50 mg/kg/day; diethylstilbestrol,
> DES, 0.5 mg/kg/day) given in the peripubertal period to female rhesus
> monkeys. DES had striking effects on several parameters assessed
> measures CBC and clinical chemistry including hematocrit, hemoglobin,
> serum albumin, liver transaminases, and lipids. Circulating
> lymphocytes, particularly B cells, were depressed by DES, and a
> maturational shift in a memory T-cell population was altered. Bone
> mass and length, as measured after a 9-month recovery period, were
> significantly lower in the DES group and bone mass tended to be
> reduced in the femur of the MXC50 group relative to controls. In
> conclusion, the data indicate that DES had a clear effect on
> immunohematology and bone growth, while MXC influenced fewer
> parameters. Disruption in these systems during puberty could alter
> adolescent risk for anemia and infectious disease and subsequent adult
> risk for diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, and autoimmune
> disease.
> PMID: 15456917
>
> Article about Phthalates:
> http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NEWSCIENCE/oncompounds/phthalates/phthalates.htm
>


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